


Coffee Beans

by Tightredpants



Category: Arctic Monkeys, Last Shadow Puppets
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-01
Updated: 2019-06-16
Packaged: 2019-12-30 14:32:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,511
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18317180
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tightredpants/pseuds/Tightredpants
Summary: Miles is Alex' favorite customer, Alex is his favorite barista.





	1. Chapter 1

Miles came in every day. He didn’t know where he worked, what his route was, where he lived, or his last name. But Alex felt like he knew more about him from his coffee order than anything else. In the last week or so they’d struck up a banter of sorts, and since Alex worked most mornings he’d seen Miles almost every day.

“Another Americano for ya, Miles?” He asked happily as Miles approached the counter.

“I can’t stray from my usual, you know that.” And there is was, that million dollar smile that was made even more valuable by the lines that were formed around his eyes, and how he had the most illuminating smile despite his slightly crooked teeth.

“Of course. Coming right up.” Alex returned the smile and started preparing his drink, taking extra care to make sure it was perfect. Miles stood and watched dutifully, enthralled by Alex’ hands sliding graciously over each handle and button and cup. As he handed the drink to Miles, a slight blush creeped upon his cheeks.

“I’m sorry, I forgot to ask if you wanted it togo... Would you like for me to put it in a different cup?”

“It’s Saturday, love. Just wanted to come by my favorite shop. I’ve got time.” There was that smile again, which made Alex subconsciously place a few strands of long hair behind his ear out of embarrassment.

“Weekends escape me, working like I do.” A slight chuckle escaped his lips, silently ashamed by how easily he’d forgotten it was the weekend. It’s not as if he’d have much to do on them anyway.

“Don’t tell me your girl hasn’t got you going out every weekend!” Miles was leaned against the counter now, and Alex was thankful that the morning crowd had already come and gone.

“It’s not like that, no...” he said bashfully, looking at Miles with a shy smile.

“Well that’s too bad, she missing out.” Miles took a sip of his drink, and Alex took the moment to internally scold himself at not making himself clearer that he in fact was single, and incredibly, almost uncomfortably, attracted to the man in front of him.

“Not exactly she, I suppose, really. Um, I don’t have a girlfriend.”

“Really? I’d have thought you’d have to beat them off with a stick mate!”

“No, um, actually..” Alex chuckled again, frustrated at himself and his seemingly inability to ask Miles what he actually wanted. “You know what? Let’s go out. Let’s go dancing. Or out to eat. Or anything, I guess.”

They were both shocked by Alex’ sudden bravery, to the point where both of them were stunned to silence. Right as Miles was about to respond, someone came to the counter and Alex quickly took to accommodating the customer. As he made the patrons drink, he was cursing himself and terrified of what Miles’ reply would be, but he hadn’t moved from his spot at the counter, so perhaps that was a good sign. After he had served the customer, Miles was still there, looking at him expectantly.

“Alex...” The tone of his voice had changed, from playful to having somewhat of an edge. 

“Would you like another-“

“No, I wouldn’t. But, I _would_ like to take you dancing. Or out to eat. Or anything.” His smile was back, but this time in the form of a devilish smirk, and it made Alex turn a thousand different shades of red.

“Of course, I only work mornings, so I’m free at night, after we close at 5...” The blush was still prevalent but so was the smile on Alex’ face, matching the one that Miles had.

“Perfect. I’ll be back at 6. Do you think you’ll have finished closing up by then?”

“I’ll make sure I have.” There was no hesitation in Alex’ voice, only the faint timbre of excitement.

“Wonderful. I’ll see you then, Al.”

“Ok Miles.”

Miles then turned to leave, and Alex noticed after he left he had barely touched his drink. Thinking of all the wonderful possibilities of how his night would go, he happily emptied the cup and washed it, praying the hours would go by quickly. Feeling a new pep in his step, he went back to work, knowing now that he’d be getting to know much more of his favorite customer.


	2. The Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So, because I can't leave anything alone, I decided to write another chapter to this, the date. It's pretty short as well, nothing crazy. Hope you enjoy!

Alex was a ball of nerves and excitement as he finished his shift, checking the time every 5 minutes hoping that he had miraculously skipped a few hours. 6 o’clock couldn’t possibly come quickly enough, so when they finally shut their doors for the night, Alex finished up his work in record time. He checked the time once more; 5:45. 15 more minutes, 15 minutes of Alex checking and rechecking things, wiping off the counter again, making sure he had cleaned the espresso machine. He checked his watch as soon as it turned 6 o’clock, and now his excitement turned into anxiousness. 

_What if he didn’t show up? Am I being a fool? You barely know him besides his coffee order._

His internal panic was ended quickly when he saw Miles approach the door and wave politely. Alex broke into a wide smile and hurried to unlock the door to let Miles in. 

“Hey!” Miles greeted excitedly, and that excitement was immediately reciprocated by Alex. 

“Hey! I’m so glad you came!” Alex smiled so big his eyes almost squinted closed. Miles was smiling just as broadly, and Alex felt like he had a million butterflies in his stomach 

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world. Are you ready to go?” 

“Yes! Let’s go.” Alex grabbed his jacket and they headed out, Miles taking the lead. 

“I think you’ll really like this place, it’s one of my favorites in the neighborhood.” He smiled sweetly as they walked, and a few short minutes later they arrived at the restaurant, a cozy place with a lazy but comfortable atmosphere. It was dimly lit with candles on the table and vintage wallpaper on the walls, decorated with old photographs and paintings of various sizes. There were few diners in the building, which gave the restaurant a very private air. 

“Take a seat wherever you’d like!” The voice came from somewhere Alex couldn’t place, but that might have been caused by the distraction of Miles gently grabbing his hand and leading him to a booth near the back. The action made Alex’ head spin slightly, and he couldn’t help the light pink tint that showed on his cheeks. 

Over dinner they shared wine, and talked about everything, from their childhoods, to their hobbies, favorite foods, and their worst habits. The conversation flowed as freely as the wine did, and by the time they had finished they had gone through two bottles. They also realized it was nearing closing time, and Alex had a tough time accepting that almost 4 hours had passed. 

“Would you like to come back to mine? I’ve got a nice record collection.” Alex said this before his mind had quite processed it. His body was warm and his cheeks were stained red, and he couldn’t stop smiling at Miles. 

In response, Miles just giggled and nodded, saying, “That sounds perfect.” 

Their evening of love kindling continued as they drank cups of piping tea and leafed through Alex’ records, playing Bowie and Cohen and Scott Walker until the early hours of morning. Alex was laughing hysterically at another one of Miles’ jokes when he thought to himself how much it felt like he’d known Miles for years, and not something they were trying out for the first time. There was an excitement in his chest that he’d never felt before, and every time Miles smiled at him that excitement grew.   
It wasn’t until Alex was falling asleep while sitting up that Miles proposed him leaving, and Alex halfheartedly protested until Miles kissed him on the cheek, assuring him that he’d see him soon. They exchanged numbers and Alex walked him to the door, not without offering to order a taxi. 

“We should definitely do this again soon,” Alex said, both of them lingering in the doorway. 

“Definitely. I’m so glad we did this.” Miles’ smile was sleepy but completely genuine, and it made Alex’ heart flutter. 

“Me too. I’ll text you, yeah?”

Miles nodded, adding, “Goodnight, Alex.”

“Goodnight, Miles.” Alex watched him walk down the steps, and down the sidewalk until he was out of sight. He slowly closed the door and made his way to bed, grinning wildly. 

Weeks later, Miles still came in every day. But now, Alex knew where he worked, what his route was, and his last name. He was still Alex’ favorite customer. 

“Another Americano for a Mr. Miles Kane?” Miles smiled widely, that same million dollar smile that had hooked Alex on the very first day. Instead of a tip Alex always received a sweet kiss, which to him was far more valuable than any currency. Everything was beautiful, and Alex couldn’t help but smile and think, _God, I love my job._


End file.
